hanniewigs First let me state that I love James Franco. I loved him in Freaks and Geeks and most of his roles ever since....but this movie was just silly. The actress that plays the main character Sonny's mother became so annoying and her phony accent is so grating you are tempted to turn off the movie half way through. James Franco seriously tries his best with a badly written script and not so qualified director. Nicolas directed this film in such an odd way. I don't think actors should assume they can be directors based solely on being in films. There is a little thing called education and experience and just because you have starred in 30+ movies doesn't mean you have the skills to direct a movie. Three quarters of the way into the film you can tell the actors have given up and just want to finish. I believe that James Franco only starred in this movie for experience. To push himself in ways his other roles didn't but that doesn't make it a good movie. It is almost painful to watch. I am from Mississippi, I have been all over the South and the North and I have NEVER heard accents like the ones these actors were using.

marnifrances I thought this film would blow me away and might be original considering the subject matter. I was wrong. The acting was less than average from 3 actors that are usually brilliant. The characters are inconsistently played (except for Brenda Blethyn), probably due to poor direction. Blethyn's character is over the top and melodramatic. Mena's is wispy and under-played and James Franco's doesn't have half the impact it should.In short, without spoiling the plot, I expected far more from Nicolas Cage and from the actors.Poor effort from a story that had the potential to be interesting, emotional and gripping.

pnfeeney I really enjoyed the slightly unusual dimension brought to the film by Nicholas Cages's direction, showing the same characteristics as many of the films in which he has a leading role. The role of Yellow acid was a bit over the top but the other roles all believable and well acted. The much worked cliché of being drawn back into a rut was kept interesting by the unlikely paradox that a good looking and sexually adapt male could struggle to impress in normal situations simply because of the stigma and baggage of his previous occupation. James Franco was an excellent choice as Sonny portraying the on the surface shy but extremely confident individual with great believability.

muriley "I was fortunate enough to watch it on an import Region-1 DVD, and was struck by the non-judgmental approach and sensitivity of the director & cast dealing with such a rough story line."------I can explain this; I knew the writer of this film many years ago. This is essentially his own life story. Except I believe this movie takes place in New Orleans; in real life it was Galveston, Texas. I've read a number of his unproduced scripts and many of them deal with this same theme. God knows what would have happened to him if he hadn't become a writer. Interesting side bit about John Carlen. He was mentored by the late Edward Bunker, who was also a jailhouse writer but was perhaps best known for playing "Mr. Blue" in Reservoir Dogs. I guess Mr. Bunker was kind of a violent guy, because the two of them fell out and Carlen was so worried that Bunker was coming after him that he went into hiding.